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Abstract:

Merchandise content is aggregated from numerous merchant sources and
presented on computing devices of individual users. Users are able to
purchase select individual merchandise items by performing a simplified
action, such as a screen tap on a touchscreen device. When the user
performs the action, a series of actions are performed programmatically
and/or automatically on behalf of the user to initiate and complete the
transaction for the selected merchandise item from the merchant source.

Claims:

1. A method of completing an electronic form, comprising: receiving user
profile information comprised of profile components; receiving a request
to complete an electronic form; accessing a programmatic agent that
configures a processor to map at least some of the profile components to
data entries needed to complete the electronic form provided by the third
party; determining, by the processor configured by the programmatic
agent, which of the profile components are to be used to complete the
electronic form; and transmitting the profile components in a manner that
causes the electronic form to be completed programmatically.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the profile components
comprises transmitting the profile component to a remotely-located
network server of an online retailer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the profile components
results in ordering goods from an online retailer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the profile components
results in registering for a service provided by an online service
provider.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising: receiving a first trigger
input associated with product information, wherein accessing the
programmatic agent is in response to receiving the trigger input; and
transmitting the product information identifying a first product to be
purchased in response to receiving the trigger input.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising: receiving subsequent trigger
inputs over a predetermined period of time as measured from when the
first trigger input was received, wherein each of the subsequent trigger
inputs are associated with different products sold by the same merchant
as the first product; and queuing individual transactions associated with
each of the subsequent trigger inputs until the predetermined period of
time expires; and in response to determining the predetermined period of
time has expired, facilitating the purchase of the first product and the
different products from the merchant.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising, wherein facilitating the
purchase of the first product and the different products occur as single
online purchase order.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising: determining whether the
electronic form has been modified; and in response to determining the
electronic form has been modified, facilitating the updating of the
programmatic agent.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining which of the profile
components are to be used to complete the electronic form comprises:
determining whether merchant account login information is associated with
the user profile, wherein the merchant account login information is
specific to a merchant associated with the electronic form; and in
response to determining the merchant account login information is
associated with the user profile, transmitting the merchant account login
information as at least some of the profile components.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising: determining whether the
user profile has been used to complete a previous transaction associated
with a merchant that is also associated with the electronic form; and in
response to determining the merchant is a new merchant, requesting
additional information required to complete the electronic form.

12. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer
readable storage medium and computer program instructions stored therein,
the computer program instructions comprising program instructions for:
receiving user profile information comprised of profile components;
receiving a request to complete an electronic form; accessing a
programmatic agent that configures a processor to map at least some of
the profile components to data entries needed to complete the electronic
form provided by the third party; determining, by the processor
configured by the programmatic agent, which of the profile components are
to be used to complete the electronic form; and transmitting the profile
components in a manner that causes the electronic form to be completed
programmatically.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer
program instructions for transmitting the profile components comprises
instructions for transmitting the profile component to a remotely-located
network server of an online retailer.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer
program instructions for transmitting the profile components results in
ordering goods from an online retailer.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer
program instructions for transmitting the profile components results in
registering for a service provided by an online service provider.

16. The computer program product of claim 12 further comprising
instructions for: receiving a first trigger input associated with product
information, wherein accessing the programmatic agent is in response to
receiving the trigger input; and transmitting the product information
identifying a first product to be purchased in response to receiving the
trigger input.

17. A system comprising one or more processors configured to: receive
user profile information comprised of profile components; receive a
request to complete an electronic form; access a programmatic agent that
configures at least one of the processors to map at least some of the
profile components to data entries needed to complete the electronic form
provided by the third party; determine which of the profile components
are to be used to complete the electronic form; and transmit the profile
components in a manner that causes the electronic form to be completed
programmatically.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein transmitting the profile components
results in ordering goods from an online retailer.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein transmitting the profile components
results in registering for a service provided by an online service
provider.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein one or more processors configured to:
receive a first trigger input associated with product information,
wherein accessing the programmatic agent is in response to receiving the
trigger input; and transmit the product information identifying a first
product to be purchased in response to receiving the trigger input.

21. A method of aggregating information, comprising: retrieving
information associated with a plurality of items for sale from a
plurality of online sources; identifying a transaction type associated
with each of the plurality of items; accessing a user profile indicating
categories of preferred transaction types; selecting specific items from
the plurality of items based on the transaction type of the items
matching the preferred transaction types indicated by the user profile;
and associating the specific items with the user profile.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the selecting of the specific items
is based on an amount of savings offered due to a current discount being
offered on a normal price of the specific items.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the selecting of the specific items
is based on an availability of the specific items, such that the specific
items are selected only if there is at least a predetermined number of
the specific items available.

24. The method of claim 21 further comprising: displaying the specific
items to a user associated with the user profile; and enabling the user
to delete one or more of the specific items.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising: in response to the user
deleting one or more of the specific items, determining there has been an
update to the user profile modifying the preferred transaction types; and
removing at least some associations of the specific items in response to
the modifications made to the preferred transaction types.

26. The method of claim 21 further comprising: displaying the specific
items to a user associated with the user profile; and enabling the user
to purchase one or more of the specific items.

Description:

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S.
Provisional Patent Application No. 61/550,328, filed Oct. 21, 2011, which
is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The disclosed embodiments relate to a systems and methods for
facilitating online transactions.

BACKGROUND

[0003] Online e-commerce has evolved in the variety of transactions that
are available for facilitating purchases. Increasingly, online mediums
are being used in offering sales, deals (e.g. daily deals), clearance
items and similar discounted goods and services.

[0004] In addition to variety, the number of outlets that are available
has also increased. Major e-commerce sites are increasingly supplemented
with sites that specialize, for example, in the types of products
offered, or in providing overstock items.

[0005] Increasingly, consumers are using numerous kinds of computing
platforms to make online purchases. For example, consumers may utilize
anyone of a mobile device (e.g., cellular telephony/messaging devices),
tablet, Internet television, laptop or desktop to make an online
purchase. Some computing platforms are more difficult to use for
e-commerce activities. For example, users of mobile computing devices
have difficult "checkout" experiences, particularly when the checkout
page of a site is not formatted for the mobile device. Furthermore, on
many computing devices (e.g., mobile devices, Internet television), the
experience of logging in and then entering payment and shipping
information is tedious.

SUMMARY

[0006] Embodiments include a system and method for facilitating consumers
to purchase merchandise items from e-commerce sources using a variety of
computing devices, such as mobile computing devices. Some embodiments may
provide the aggregation of various deal and/or other offers from
different sources into a single listing or other type of display
interface. Further, embodiments discussed herein can enable an online
form to be programmatically analyzed, completed and submitted by a
machine without the user having to manually do so.

[0007] For example, embodiments discussed herein are related to systems,
computer readable media having instructions for, methods and other means
for completing an electronic form. The electronic form can be completed
in the course of ordering products online, making reservations for
dinner, and/or registering for any other product or free service. The
method can include, for example, receiving user profile information
comprised of profile components; receiving a request to complete an
electronic form; accessing a programmatic agent that configures a
processor to map at least some of the profile components to data entries
needed to complete the electronic form provided by the third party;
determining, by the processor configured by the programmatic agent, which
of the profile components are to be used to complete the electronic form;
and transmitting the profile components in a manner that causes the
electronic form to be completed programmatically.

[0008] In some embodiments, the method may also or instead include
transmitting the profile components to a remotely-located network server
of an online retailer. As such, receiving user profile information can
comprise receiving a consumer's address, the consumer's name, and the
consumer's purchasing information (e.g., credit card number,
username/password to an online payment service, etc.).

[0009] In some embodiments, the ordering and/or other form completion
process can begin in response to receiving a first trigger input
associated with product information. The programmatic agent can be
accessed in response to receiving the trigger input and/or the product
information identifying a first product to be purchased can be
transmitted in response to receiving the trigger input. In some
embodiments, a timer and/or other mechanism can be used to consolidate
multiple orders (e.g., to avoid having to pay separate shipping charges
to the same merchant). For example, after the first trigger input is
received, some embodiments may be configured (e.g., by a user, as
default, and/or otherwise) to wait to see if there are any other trigger
inputs received that are associated with the same merchant as the first
trigger event. If subsequent trigger inputs are received over the
predetermined period of time (e.g., as measured from when the first
trigger input was received), which are associated with different products
sold by the same merchant as the first product, the transactions
associated with the subsequent trigger inputs can be queued together
until the predetermined period of time expires and/or the user
specifically instructs the system to execute the transaction. In response
to determining the predetermined period of time has expired or the user
has explicitly instructed the transaction to occur, the purchase of the
first product and/or the subsequent products from the merchant can be
facilitated. As such, the purchase of the first product and the different
products occur as single online purchase order.

[0010] Some embodiments may also be configured to determine whether the
electronic form has been modified; and in response to determining the
electronic form has been modified, facilitate the updating of the
programmatic agent used to map information to the form and/or otherwise
complete the form.

[0011] In some embodiments, a determination as to which of the profile
components are to be used to complete the electronic form can comprise:
determining whether merchant account login information is associated with
the user profile, wherein the merchant account login information is
specific to a merchant associated with the electronic form; and in
response to determining the merchant account login information is
associated with the user profile, transmit the merchant account login
information as at least some of the profile components.

[0012] A determination can be made in some embodiments as to whether the
user profile has been used to complete a previous transaction associated
with a merchant that is also associated with the electronic form, and in
response to determining the merchant is a new merchant, additional
information required to complete the electronic form can be requested
from a user using screen display prompts.

[0013] Some embodiments may also or instead include a method, system,
non-transitory computer readable media and/or other means for aggregating
information, comprising: retrieving information associated with a
plurality of items for sale from a plurality of online sources;
identifying a transaction type associated with each of the plurality of
items; accessing a user profile indicating categories of preferred
transaction types; selecting specific items from the plurality of items
based on the transaction type of the items matching the preferred
transaction types indicated by the user profile; and associating the
specific items with the user profile.

[0014] The selecting of the specific items can be based on an amount of
savings offered due to a current discount being offered on a normal price
of the specific items and/or an availability of the specific items, such
that the specific items are selected only if there is at least a
predetermined number of the specific items available, among other things.

[0015] The specific items can be displayed to a user associated with the
user profile; and the user can be enabled to delete one or more of the
specific items. In response to the user deleting one or more of the
specific items, a determination can be made that there has been an update
to the user profile modifying the preferred transaction types; and at
least some associations of the specific items can be removed in response
to the modifications made to the preferred transaction types.

[0016] The specific items can be displayed to a user associated with the
user profile; and the user can be enabled to purchase one or more of the
specific items in accordance with some embodiments.

[0017] According to embodiments, merchandise content is aggregated from
numerous merchant sources and presented on computing devices of
individual users. Users are able to purchase select individual
merchandise items by performing a simplified action, such as a screen tap
on a touchscreen device. When the user performs the action, a series of
actions are performed programmatically and/or automatically on behalf of
the user to initiate and complete the transaction for the selected
merchandise item from the merchant source.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING(S)

[0018] Having thus described the example embodiments of the present
invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the
accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and
wherein:

[0019] FIG. 1A shows an example network-based system configured to provide
means for enabling online transactions in accordance with some
embodiments discussed herein;

[0020] FIG. 1B shows example circuitry that that may be included in one or
more components of the system of FIG. 1A in accordance with some
embodiments discussed herein;

[0021] FIGS. 2-5 show example machine-implemented methods in accordance
with some embodiments described herein; and

[0022] FIGS. 6A-6M show example displays that may be presented by, for
example, a client device in accordance with some embodiments herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Some embodiments discussed herein include a system, such as that
shown in FIG. 1A, and/or various method methods that aid in facilitating
consumers in purchasing products (e.g., goods and/or services) from
e-commerce sources and/or other merchants. For example, the consumer may
use a consumer device, which may function as a client device in a
client-server based network architecture, while the merchant may use a
merchant device, which function as the server in the architecture.

[0024] For example, the systems discussed herein can be configured to
implement methods that automatically and/or programmatically complete
electronic forms for a consumer or other user of a client device. For
example, when a consumer would like to purchase a product online, the
online merchant may provide an online form to the client device, and
require the consumer to provide information to complete the form wholly
or partially. Completing the form can be a requisite for approving the
purchase request. For example, the online form may request the consumer's
name, mailing address, email address, telephone number, purchasing
information (e.g., credit card and/or other payment account number,
billing address, etc.) and/or any other user-related information. As
another example, a consumer may want to sign-up for a rewards program
(e.g., frequent flyer program), enroll in a deal offer or other discount
program, and/or otherwise register for service(s) provided by a third
party, such as payment services that are discussed in commonly-assigned
U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/715,229, titled "PEER-TO-PEER
PAYMENT PROCESSING," filed Oct. 18, 2012, which is incorporated by
reference herein in its entirety.

[0025] In some embodiments, the online form may be embodied as a single
webpage having fillable fields that prompt the consumer for specific
information (e.g., name, address, telephone number, email address, etc.).
Additionally or alternatively, the online form may be embodied as a
plurality of displays that are each configured to be presented by a
mobile device (such as a smart phone or tablet), wherein one or more of
the screens prompts the client device user for requested/required
information. In any regard, as referred to herein, a "form" can include
any request for information from a user.

[0026] To aid the user in completing online and other types of electronic
forms, embodiments herein can be configured to receive some or all the
information typically required by one or more particular online forms in
advance. For example, embodiments discussed herein can be configured to
receive the user's name, mailing address, email address, telephone
number, purchasing information (e.g., credit card and/or other payment
account number, billing address, etc.) and/or any other user-related
information, which can each be designated as profile components. The
profile components are defined herein as pieces and/or groups of
information that may be mapped to one or more prompts for information
included in an online form. As discussed below, the user profile
information (including its components) can be stored locally by the
client device and/or at a remotely located networked device.

[0027] Embodiments may also include software, firmware and/or hardware,
sometimes referred to herein as a "programmatic agent," that can
configure the client device, server device and/or third party device to
map the user profile information (e.g., one or more specific components)
to one or more prompts for information in an electronic form. In this
manner, the user of the client device need not spend time completing
electronic forms when making purchases, reservations and/or otherwise
registering for services, and the server device need not be configured to
provide forms that are more platform-specific (e.g., configured to be
optimized for mobile and/or other types of devices).

[0028] In addition to assisting the user in completing online forms, some
embodiments discussed herein are related to aggregating deals and/or
other information determined to be of interest to the user. For example,
some embodiments discussed herein can retrieve information associated
with a plurality of items for sale from a plurality of online sources and
identify those that are currently being offered for discounted prices.
For example, the prices of one or more products can be compared
automatically by a server that is configured to identify the lowest price
for the product. The product can then be categorized (e.g.,
health/beauty, dining, outdoor activities, educational, etc.) and the
user can be able to express an interest and/or disinterest in one or more
of the categories. Information on products having the lowest price among
the same/similar products online and matching a category of interest to a
user can then be provided to the user's device. The user's device can be
configured to present an aggregation of all products determined to be of
the lowest cost and of possible interest to the user. The user may be
able to interact with the display to further define the user's profile
and modify future results presented by embodiments discussed herein. For
example, the user may remove a product listing from the display and the
system may update the user's profile to reflect the user is currently
disinterested in that category of product.

[0029] As used herein, the terms "data," "content," "information" and
similar terms may be used interchangeably to refer to data capable of
being captured, transmitted, received, displayed and/or stored in
accordance with various example embodiments. Thus, use of any such terms
should not be taken to limit the spirit and scope of the disclosure.
Further, where a computing device is described herein to receive data
from another computing device, it will be appreciated that the data may
be received directly from the another computing device or may be received
indirectly via one or more intermediary computing devices, such as, for
example, one or more servers, relays, routers, network access points,
base stations, and/or the like. Similarly, where a computing device is
described herein to send data to another computing device, it will be
appreciated that the data may be sent directly to the another computing
device or may be sent indirectly via one or more intermediary computing
devices, such as, for example, one or more servers, relays, routers,
network access points, base stations, and/or the like.

[0030] System Architecture

[0031] FIG. 1A illustrates a system, namely system 100, configured to
enable online transactions according to one or more embodiments. In some
embodiments, system 100 may include one or more network sub-systems, such
as merchant sources 102, configured to communicate with a plurality of
client devices 150. Merchant sources 102 may be implemented using, for
example, one or more servers and/or other network hardware that are
accessible to various client devices via a network, which may include a
public network, such as the Internet, a private network, such as an
intranet, or combinations thereof, that may utilize a variety of
networking protocols now available or later developed including, but not
limited to TCP/IP based networking protocols. FIG. 1B shows example
hardware that may be included in accordance with some embodiments of
network side subsystem 102 and/or other servers discussed herein. While
some examples are discussed herein in the context of merchant devices and
consumer devices that facilitate the shopping for and purchasing of
items, the architecture and functionality of system 100 can likewise be
applied to any other application that may involve completing a form
and/or otherwise providing information to a networked device and/or
aggregating information from multiple, independent online sources of
information.

[0032] Client devices 150 may be operated by users, such as consumers. In
this regard, a machine used by a consumer or other type of end user may
be referred to herein as a "client device," "consumer device" or "user
device," which may be a personal computer (e.g., desktop computer) and/or
mobile device (e.g., tablet computer, laptop computer, cellular
telephone, etc.), Internet enabled televisions (or "Internet
television"), and gaming consoles, among other things. Client device 150
can be implemented on a variety of device platforms, including mobile
devices that operate any of many possible operating systems. FIGS. 6A-6M
show example displays that may be presented by one or more display
screens of one or more client devices.

[0033] System 100 can be configured to operate to, for example, (i)
generate a presentation of merchandise transactional content on one or
more client devices 150, and (ii) enable the user to cause the client
device 150 to signal a desire to purchase individual merchandise items in
response to presenting a relatively simple, intuitive user interface
element (e.g., a tap-to-buy on a touch screen, as described below) or set
of actions, and/or (iii) respond to the signal(s) received from the user
device 150 by performing a series of subsequent programmatic actions on
behalf of the user that result in the selected merchandise item being
purchased for the user.

[0034] In some embodiments, system 100 can be configured to function as
and/or otherwise include aggregation component 110, merchandise content
database 116, presentation component 118, and/or transaction component
120, among other things. These components, like others discussed herein,
can be cloud-based components (e.g., implemented by specially-configured
network machines located remote from client devices 150) and/or
implemented partially or wholly on client devices 150. For example,
traditional merchants may include content database 116, wherein item
information is stored in the cloud and can be accessed by client devices
150. As another example, consumers may also act as merchants and/or
configure their client devices to function as a merchandise content
database 116 and/or aggregation component 110.

[0035] Aggregation component 110 can include and/or be configured to
function as crawler 112 that accesses various online data sources, such
as merchant sources 102 that may include online merchants' product
information (e.g., retail websites, bargain sites, etc.), to obtain
merchandise transaction data 103. In some embodiments, merchant sources
102 may be operated independently and remotely from the client devices
150.

[0036] Merchandise transaction data 103 can be transmitted from merchant
sources 102 to aggregation component 110. In some embodiments,
merchandise transaction data 103 can include a collection of data items
that individually identify one or more items of merchandise for purchase,
which are each sometimes referred to herein as a "merchandise transaction
data item." The merchandise transaction data item can be representative
of any product and/or other type of information. For example, merchandise
transaction data 103 may comprise numerous merchandise transaction data
items aggregated from multiple online sites, each of which can identify a
corresponding item (or items) of merchandise for sale. The merchandise
transaction data items may each comprise a set of images and/or text, as
well as links, metadata and/or functionality that enables individual
users (e.g., using client devices 150) to select and purchase a
particular item of merchandise. For example, merchandise transaction data
103 may corresponds to a collection of merchandise transaction items
aggregated from sources such as online catalogs, e-commerce sites,
promotional offerings (such as those offered by Groupon, Inc. of Chicago,
Ill.) and/or any other discounted item with which an amount of cost
savings has been determined is being offered relative to the normal price
(sometimes referred to herein as "deals"). More specifically, merchandise
transaction data 103 may include content such as images and text that
describe a corresponding merchandise item, as well as links that enables
the user to select an item for purchase (e.g., links that open the
purchasing page, shopping cart and/or other type of online form).
Specific examples of merchandise items identified with merchandise
transaction data 103 can include, for example, clothing, apparel,
electronics, home furnishings, automobile accessories, hardware, salon
services, travel services (e.g., airline tickets, hotel room
reservations, etc.) and/or any other type of products. Additionally or
alternatively, the merchandise transaction data items may include a
variety of different transaction types, such as clearance sales or "daily
deals," and/or identify the quantity remaining (if applicable) at a given
price. Further, in some embodiments, merchandise transaction data can
include sku information and/or other product identifying information
(e.g., color, size, service duration, service provider's name,
manufacturer country of origination, etc.).

[0037] In some embodiments, selection component 114 can be configured to
implement logic and/or criteria to select specific merchandise
transaction data items 115 (e.g., an entry that identifies a particular
merchandise item) from the collection of merchandise transaction data
103. The selection criteria by which individual merchandise transaction
data items 115 are selected from others can include, for example, the
amount of savings offered in the individual transaction item for the
corresponding merchandise, the availability of the merchandise (e.g.,
quantity available for sale, variety of sizes or colors), any other
user-entered selection criteria provided by the client device 150, and/or
any other system provided selection criteria. The selection criteria may
be used by selection component 114 to select merchandise transaction
items 115 from the aggregated collection of merchandise transaction data
103. For example, a user's profile can be used to determine what
merchandise transaction items 115 are selected and displayed by a client
device 150 associated with the user's profile (e.g., the client device
onto which the user is signed into the user's profile). As such, the
client device 150 can be configured to display the selected merchandise
transaction items 115 based on the user profile, and enable the user to
delete one or more of the specific items. Upon deleting a selected
transaction item 115 from the display presented by the client device 150,
a determination can be made that there has been an update to the user
profile (e.g., modifying the transaction types, such as product
categories, the user is interested and/or those the user is
disinterested), and subsequent selected transaction items 115 can be
chose based on different criteria (e.g., to exclude those items the user
has indicated a disinterest therein).

[0039] According to some embodiments, client device 150 can include
components that correspond to presentation 152, trigger 154, and one or
more user and/or device specific data stores 155, 156. In some
embodiments, presentation component 152 can be configured to receive
merchandise transactional content 157 from network subsystem 102.
Merchandise transactional content 157 can be associated with merchandise
transactional data items that are selected and aggregated from multiple
different merchant sites as discussed above. Presentation component 118
and/or 152 may reformat the content for the requirements (e.g., platform,
operating system, etc.) of the client device 150. For example,
merchandise content 157 can includes multiple merchandise transaction
items aggregated from multiple merchant websites. Merchandise content 157
may be displayed on client device 150 (e.g., on a user's smartphone) in a
scrollable fashion, so as to enable the user to scroll through items
and/or other product information. The merchandise transaction data items
that are displayed on client device 150 may be formatted for the device's
platform, and be further modified to enable its presentation as an entry
in a scrollable list and/or any other suitable presentation
configuration. As an addition or variation, the merchandise transaction
items can be categorized by parameters such as the type of merchandise,
manufacturer or brand, date in which the merchandise transaction item was
offered or identified, and/or by any other suitable criteria.

[0040] As an addition or alternative, the presentation component may sort,
filter or otherwise prioritize the presentation of select merchandise
transactional data items represented by merchandise content 157. For
example, the presentation component 152 may display, or prioritize the
display of merchandise transactional data items that are new as compared
to the user's prior viewing (e.g. last time the user opened a client
application). Still further, preference parameters of the user may be
used to prioritize and/or filter the merchandise content by type (e.g.
electronics versus clothing), brand, price range, and/or other
parameters. In these regards, the merchandise content 157 that is
presented to the various users may differ. The user-specific parameters
may be stored together and/or otherwise associated with a user profile.

[0041] According to embodiments, trigger 154 can be associated with a
programmatic input element provided by client device 150 that enables the
user to select individual merchandise data items presented on the client
device 150. For example, trigger 154 can be provided by way of an icon
and/or other feature that can be selected by a simple user action, such
as a tap (e.g., on a touchscreen, the user tapping the display surface at
a region that coincides with presentation of the icon). As described
herein, trigger 154 can include functionality displayed with each
merchandise data item and/or group(s) of merchandise data items. A user's
activation of trigger 154 for a given data item can identify a
corresponding merchandise data item (e.g., a network location and
corresponding content in which an item is offered for sale), as well as
the source for the data item. When the trigger 154 is activated by a user
input (e.g., user tap), a series of operations performed by various
components of system 100 can be initiated by the client device 150. In
some embodiments, many of the operations can be automatically performed,
and transparently to the user, enabling the user to, for example, readily
purchase a merchandise item by tapping a button on a screen. For example,
activation of trigger 154 can initiate a series of operations that
include: receiving/accessing user profile information comprised of
profile components; receiving a request or otherwise determining there is
an electronic form to be completed; accessing a programmatic agent that
configures a processor to map at least some of the profile components to
data entries needed to complete the electronic form provided by the third
party; determining, by the processor configured by the programmatic
agent, which of the profile components are to be used to complete the
electronic form; and transmitting the profile components in a manner that
causes the electronic form to be completed programmatically. As such, the
client device and/or other components of system 100 can be configured to
identify user specific information (e.g., associated with a user profile)
required for purchasing the selected merchandise item from the
corresponding merchandise store, and then communicating the information
to the network-side subsystem 102 to initiate and complete the
transaction.

[0042] According to embodiments, the user-specific information can include
encrypted information 155 of the user (e.g., credit card number,
expiration data and CCV code) and/or online transaction login information
(e.g., such as a user name and password). In some embodiments, all of the
user information may be encrypted, whereas in others some or none of the
user information is encrypted. Where there is at least some user
information that is not encrypted, non-encrypted profile information 156
of the user can be included (e.g., information that identifies the user's
account information with the particular merchant website, cookies, etc.).
Encrypted information 155 and/or unencrypted information 156 may also
include preferences of the user, such as to size, color and/or modes of
shipment. User preferences and/or other discrete sets of information
included in encrypted information 155 and/or unencrypted information 156
are sometimes referred to herein as "profile components."

[0043] In response to trigger 154 being activated, client device 150 can
be configured to communicate one or more profile components as user
information 161 (which may be based on at least some of encrypted
information 155 and/or unencrypted information 156) and/or product
information 163 to transaction component 120. User information 161 may
include the purchasing information 155, and relevant profile components
from the encrypted information 155 (e.g., user login information for the
particular merchant) and/or unencrypted information 156. According to
some embodiments, at least some of the purchasing information 155 (as
well as the profile information 156) is stored in encrypted form on the
client device 150. The profile components that are transmitted can be
determined and/or based on merchant and/or other third party providing
the form that is being completed (e.g., in response to the user selecting
trigger 154 to purchase an item). For example, a first merchant may
require the user's name, purchasing information and mailing address,
while a second merchant may require all the above as well as an email
address and telephone number. Some or all of this information can be
associated with the user's profile (either as encrypted information 155
and/or unencrypted information 156) and client device 150 can be
configured to determine and/or receive information identifying which
profile components should be sent to facilitate various online
transactions. For example, JavaScript can be running on client device 150
and/or other component of system 100 that indicates which profile
components are needed by a particular third party with which consumer
device 150 is communicating.

[0044] Authentication mechanism 162 may be included to enable the user to
unlock encrypted information for communication to the transaction
component 160. For example, the authentication mechanism 162 can
correspond to a passkey (e.g., 4-digit code that the user enters on a
device) that enables the user to operate client device 150, and/or
communicate the encrypted information (e.g., purchasing information 155)
using client device 150.

[0045] In this way, embodiments can be configured to enable transaction
component 120 to use information communicated from client device 150 to
programmatically (e.g., without further user input) perform a series of
steps that complete a transaction with the merchant source for the
merchandise item, using, for example, (i) purchasing information, (ii)
user profile components, and/or (iii) any other suitable information
system 100 can access/generate. For example, transaction component 120
may be configured to access individual merchant websites to
programmatically perform actions on behalf of the user for completing a
transaction for the user's identified merchandise item, thereby resulting
in the user being able to purchase products from the online merchant or
other type of service provider without having to manually complete a form
required by the online merchant or other type of service provider.

[0046] While the consumer device 150 may be configured to perform some or
all of the functionality discussed above, transaction component 120 may
also or instead be configured to perform some or all of the functionality
discussed above, thereby providing a cloud solution. In some embodiments,
transaction component 120 is independent of the merchant device(s) and/or
the consumer device(s) and is maintained by a third party. Transaction
component 120 can be configured to include a merchant interface 124 that
can facilitate communications with the merchant device and implement any
one of multiple possible merchant agents for enabling virtual actions to
be performed on behalf of the user. For example, a merchant agent can be
configured to aid in completing a transaction on behalf of a user for
selected merchandise item(s), registering the consumer for a rewards
program, enrolling the user in a deal offer or other discount program,
and/or otherwise registering the user for service(s) provided by a
merchant (and/or other party). To facilitate this functionality,
transaction component 120 can be configured to communicate with or
otherwise include agent library 130 that can include programmatic
elements or other types of agents (e.g., scripts) that are merchant
and/or source (e.g., website) specific. For example, the agents can be
configured to map one or more profile components to one or more data
entry fields of a form required to be completed by a web source when
placing an online purchase order or other type of service request. In
some embodiments, agent library 130 can be developed automatically by
system 100 and/or by human operators via an operator interface 140. For
example, system 100 and/or operators may access a merchant website to
generate a map that implements parameters and functionality that reflects
the structure of the website and associates profile components with
particular fields of an online order form and/or other type of form. In
some embodiments, operators can develop schemas for individual sites to
enable programmatic completion of location of features, such as
click-to-add to shopping cart, use of user-interface features on site for
enabling product selection (e.g., size or color selection), specifying
shipping and other options on the purchasing page, and/or clicking to
purchase a selected item, among other things. The operators may analyze
individual forms (including the data entry fields that comprise the
forms) based on, for example, the underlying code in the page, a document
object model (DOM) of the page, and the presence of markers, including
text and/or other content (e.g., detect the word "shipping") on a web
page.

[0047] In some embodiments, merchant interface 124 includes a virtual
browser and/or other programmatic component that uses site identifier 131
(to the merchant source identified from the product information 163) to
identify site agent 135 to the merchant site from the agent library 130.
For example, site agent 135 can be configured to correspond to a script
that configures the virtual browser of the merchant interface 124 to
access the network location at the specific merchant site ("site input
107"). The network location may be identified from product information
153. Site agent 135 can be configured to further or instead enable
merchant interface 124 to provide user purchase input 105 to virtually
perform the actions required for completing a transaction on behalf of
the user of client device 150 for the merchandise item identified in user
information 161. These actions include, for example, logging into the
merchant site on behalf of the user (e.g., based on corresponding profile
components of the user's profile), providing credit card or account
information at the merchant site (e.g., based on corresponding profile
components of the user's profile), identifying the specific merchandise
item(s) that the user wishes to purchase (e.g., based on the user
selecting trigger 154 associated with the one or more specific
merchandise item(s)), selecting characteristics of the merchandise item,
such as size and color (e.g., based on corresponding profile components
of the user's profile), and/or virtually performing otherwise manual
operations (e.g., virtual clicks) to add the merchandise item to a user's
shopping cart and to check out (e.g., specify or enter financial account
information, specify shipping information and/or shipping preference),
among other things.

[0048] In some embodiments, one or more programmatic agents (e.g., site
agent 135) can be configured to enable a machine to complete an order
and/or other service (by, e.g., completing a form) as if the
order/service had been requested by the user directly. This functionality
of the agents can result in an enhanced ability of a system, such as
described in FIG. 1A to be transparent to merchants.

[0049] In some embodiments, transaction component 120 may also or instead
include transaction queue 126. Transaction queue 126 can be configured to
queue individual transactions received from client device 150 over the
course of a designated duration of time (e.g., 30 minutes). For example,
transaction queue 126 can configure a machine to queue multiple
transactions from a single client together, particularly as to a specific
merchant source, and then signal the merchant source(s) at the end of the
designated duration. The designated duration may initiate from the time
that a first transaction request is received from client device 150. In
this way, multiple transactions may be specified to a given merchant
source on behalf of the user. Depending on merchant offerings, queuing
the user's purchase requests can, for example, save on shipping costs
and/or enable the user to receive a discount that is provided when
shoppers have multiple purchases from a given source. In some
embodiments, the client device can be configured to provide the user an
indication of how many and what items are in the transaction queue that
are associated with the user and/or when to close the queue and initiate
the order of everything in the queue.

[0050] According to some embodiments, update/quality check component 144
can be configured to communicate with and use transaction database 116 to
access various merchant sites to determine the reliability of individual
site agents 135. For example, update/quality check component 144 can be
configured to determine whether or not the site agent associated with the
particular web source is able to accurately map profile components to
fields of an electronic form required by the web source when placing an
order or otherwise requesting services. The determination may include
programmatic simulation of actions that would otherwise be performed by
merchant interface 124, and/or alternatively by the user, in purchasing a
product from a website and/or other type of merchant source 102. On
occasion, problems or alterations may occur at a particular website
(e.g., alteration in site structure, product sold-out, etc.) that cause
the programmatic purchase from that location to be difficult or
impossible. In such instances, update/quality check 144 may signal an
alert 145 via the operator interface 140, which can result in an operator
and/or system 100 automatically accessing the site and updating the agent
(or disabling it, or manually implementing orders received for the
particular merchant site).

[0051] As an alternative or addition, some embodiments provide for alerts
from the merchant website to be transmitted to the user of the client
device 150. For example, if the user orders items and one is sold out,
the alert from the merchant site may be detected by system 100 and
communicated to the client device. As another example, if the product
price increases during the time between the user order being initiated by
the user on the client device 150 and the order being communicated from
the transaction component 120 to the merchant site, an alert may be
generated from system 100 or the merchant site requesting that the user
approve the increase.

[0052] Additionally, as noted with some embodiments, a designated duration
may pass between the user selecting to purchase an item and the
transaction component 120 actually attempting to make the purchase. In
such embodiments, variations provide that the transaction component 120
performs several steps towards making the purchase of the user (without
actually making the purchase). For example, the transaction component 120
may calculate tax and shipping and validate user information (like
passwords, credit cards, and addresses). This allows an extra
verification step to be performed on system 100 to determine pricing and
availability while the user is likely still using the client device. On
occasion, alerts such as described can be communicated to the user using
emails, text messages, push notifications and/or any other suitable
information delivery mechanisms.

[0053] As such, according to some embodiments, merchandise content can be
aggregated from numerous merchant sources and presented on computing
devices of individual users. Users are able to purchase select individual
merchandise items by performing a simplified action, such as a screen tap
on a touchscreen device. When the user performs the action, a series of
actions are performed programmatically and/or automatically on behalf of
the user to initiate and complete the transaction for the selected
merchandise item from the merchant source.

[0054] According to some embodiments, a client is provided on a user
device (e.g., mobile computing device) which communicates with a network
subsystem. When the user selects to purchase a merchandise item, the
client communicates necessary user-information (e.g., account
information, shipping information and preferences) to the network
subsystem. The network subsystem is configured to perform a series of
operations that are specific to a merchant website to complete the
transaction for the user.

[0055] In an embodiment, a trigger input is received from a client device.
The computing device transmits purchasing information over a network to a
network component. The purchasing information identifies a product, a
purchasing source for the product, and a payment source for making
payment for the product at the source. The network component receives the
purchasing information from the computing device, and selects a
programmatic agent for purpose of purchasing the product from the
merchant source on behalf of the user.

[0056] Among other benefits, embodiments described herein enable a user to
make purchases on a variety of computing devices (e.g., handsets) using a
simplified action. Additionally, embodiments enable the transaction
functionality of various different online merchants to be presented in
the same manner, so that the same simplified action or interaction can be
used on multiple merchant sites.

[0057] As another benefit, embodiments such as described below can be
implemented without requirements by merchant site to accommodate the
functionality of the system. At least some embodiments can be implemented
without integration requirements from merchant websites.

[0058] FIG. 1B shows a schematic block diagram of example hardware
components, some or all of which may be included in, that can be included
in any or all of the machines that comprise system 100. As illustrated in
FIG. 1 B, in accordance with some example embodiments, the circuitry may
include various means, such as one or more processors 170, memories 172,
input/output modules 174, and/or communications modules 176. The
circuitry of FIG. 1B can be included in, for example, client devices 150,
transaction component 120, agent library 130, merchant sources 102,
aggregation component 110, transaction database 116, presentation
component 118 and/or any other component(s) of system 100.

[0059] As referred to herein, "module" includes hardware, software and/or
firmware configured to perform one or more particular functions. In this
regard, the means of the circuitry as described herein may be embodied
as, for example, circuitry, hardware elements (e.g., a suitably
programmed processor, combinational logic circuit, and/or the like), a
computer program product comprising computer-readable program
instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g.,
memory 172) that is executable by a suitably configured processing device
(e.g., processor 170), or some combination thereof.

[0060] Processor 170 may, for example, be embodied as various means
including one or more microprocessors with accompanying digital signal
processor(s), one or more processor(s) without an accompanying digital
signal processor, one or more coprocessors, one or more multi-core
processors, one or more controllers, processing circuitry, one or more
computers, various other processing elements including integrated
circuits such as, for example, an ASIC (application specific integrated
circuit) or FPGA (field programmable gate array), or some combination
thereof. Accordingly, although illustrated in FIG. 25 as a single
processor, in some embodiments, processor 170 comprises a plurality of
processors. The plurality of processors may be embodied on a single
computing device or may be distributed across a plurality of computing
devices collectively configured to function as the circuitry. The
plurality of processors may be in operative communication with each other
and may be collectively configured to perform one or more functionalities
of the circuitry as described herein. In an example embodiment, processor
170 is configured to execute instructions stored in memory 172 or
otherwise accessible to processor 170. These instructions, when executed
by processor 170, may cause the circuitry to perform one or more of the
functionalities of the circuitry as described herein.

[0061] Whether configured by hardware, firmware/software methods, or by a
combination thereof, processor 170 may comprise an entity capable of
performing operations according to embodiments of the present invention
while configured accordingly. Thus, for example, when processor 170 is
embodied as an ASIC, FPGA or the like, processor 170 may comprise
specifically configured hardware for conducting one or more operations
described herein. As another example, when processor 170 is embodied as
an executor of instructions, such as may be stored in memory 172, the
instructions may specifically configure processor 170 to perform one or
more algorithms and operations described herein, such as those discussed
in connection with FIGS. 1, 2, 13 and 14.

[0062] Memory 172 may comprise, for example, volatile memory, non-volatile
memory, or some combination thereof. Although illustrated in FIG. 25 as a
single memory, memory 172 may comprise a plurality of memory components.
The plurality of memory components may be embodied on a single computing
device or distributed across a plurality of computing devices. In various
embodiments, memory 172 may comprise, for example, a hard disk, random
access memory, cache memory, flash memory, a compact disc read only
memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc read only memory (DVD-ROM), an
optical disc, circuitry configured to store information, or some
combination thereof Memory 172 may be configured to store information,
data (including deal parameter data and/or analytics data), applications,
instructions, or the like for enabling the circuitry to carry out various
functions in accordance with example embodiments of the present
invention. For example, in at least some embodiments, memory 172 is
configured to buffer input data for processing by processor 170.
Additionally or alternatively, in at least some embodiments, memory 172
is configured to store program instructions for execution by processor
170. Memory 172 may store information in the form of static and/or
dynamic information. This stored information may be stored and/or used by
the circuitry during the course of performing its functionalities.

[0063] Communications module 176 may be embodied as any device or means
embodied in circuitry, hardware, a computer program product comprising
computer readable program instructions stored on a computer readable
medium (e.g., memory 172) and executed by a processing device (e.g.,
processor 170), or a combination thereof that is configured to receive
and/or transmit data from/to another device, such as, for example, a
second circuitry and/or the like. In some embodiments, communications
module 176 (like other components discussed herein) can be at least
partially embodied as or otherwise controlled by processor 170. In this
regard, communications module 176 may be in communication with processor
170, such as via a bus. Communications module 176 may include, for
example, an antenna, a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver, network
interface card and/or supporting hardware and/or firmware/software for
enabling communications with another computing device. Communications
module 176 may be configured to receive and/or transmit any data that may
be stored by memory 172 using any protocol that may be used for
communications between computing devices. Communications module 176 may
additionally or alternatively be in communication with the memory 172,
input/output module 174 and/or any other component of the circuitry, such
as via a bus.

[0064] Input/output module 174 may be in communication with processor 170
to receive an indication of a user input and/or to provide an audible,
visual, mechanical, or other output to a user (e.g., merchant and/or
consumer). Some example visual outputs that may be provided to a user by
the circuitry are discussed in connection with FIGS. 3-12 and 15-23. As
such, input/output module 174 may include support, for example, for a
keyboard, a mouse, a joystick, a display, an image capturing device, a
touch screen display, a microphone, a speaker, a RFID reader, barcode
reader, biometric scanner, and/or other input/output mechanisms. In
embodiments wherein the circuitry is embodied as a server or database,
aspects of input/output module 174 may be reduced as compared to
embodiments where the circuitry is implemented as an end-user machine
(e.g., consumer device and/or merchant device) or other type of device
designed for complex user interactions. In some embodiments (like other
components discussed herein), input/output module 174 may even be
eliminated from the circuitry. Alternatively, such as in embodiments
wherein the circuitry is embodied as a server or database, at least some
aspects of input/output module 174 may be embodied on an apparatus used
by a user that is in communication with the circuitry, such as for
example, merchant device 2410 and/or consumer device 2412. Input/output
module 174 may be in communication with memory 172, communications module
176, and/or any other component(s), such as via a bus. Although more than
one input/output module and/or other component can be included in the
circuitry, only one is shown in FIG. 25 to avoid overcomplicating the
drawing (like the other components discussed herein).

[0065] Methodology

[0066] As will be appreciated, computer program instructions and/or other
type of code may be loaded onto a computer, processor or other
programmable apparatus's circuitry to produce a machine, such that the
computer, processor other programmable circuitry that execute the code on
the machine create the means for implementing various functions,
including those described herein. It is also noted that all or some of
the information presented by the example displays discussed herein can be
based on data that is received, generated and/or maintained by one or
more components of system 100. In some embodiments, one or more
additional systems (such as a remote cloud computing and/or data storage
system) may also be leveraged to provide at least some of the
functionality discussed herein.

[0067] As described above and as will be appreciated based on this
disclosure, embodiments of the present invention may be configured as
methods, mobile devices, backend network devices, and the like.
Accordingly, embodiments may comprise various means including entirely of
hardware or any combination of software and hardware. Furthermore,
embodiments may take the form of a computer program product on at least
one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having
computer-readable program instructions (e.g., computer software) embodied
in the storage medium. Any suitable computer-readable storage medium may
be utilized including non-transitory hard disks, CD-ROMs, flash memory,
optical storage devices, or magnetic storage devices.

[0068] Embodiments of the present invention have been are described herein
with reference to block diagrams and flowchart illustrations of methods,
apparatuses, systems and computer program products. It will be understood
that each block of the circuit diagram, functional system diagram and
process flowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the circuit diagrams
and process flowcharts, respectively, can be implemented by various means
including computer program instructions. These computer program
instructions may be loaded onto a general purpose computer, special
purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such
as processor 170 discussed above with reference to FIG. 1B, to produce a
machine, such that the computer program product includes the instructions
which execute on the computer or other programmable data processing
apparatus create a means for implementing the functions specified in the
flowchart block or blocks.

[0069] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a
computer-readable storage medium (e.g., memory 172) that can direct a
computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a
particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the
computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture
including computer-readable instructions for implementing the function
discussed herein. The computer program instructions may also be loaded
onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause
a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other
programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process such
that the instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable
apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions discussed herein.

[0070] Accordingly, blocks of the circuit diagram, functional system
diagram and flowcharts support combinations of means for performing the
specified functions, combinations of steps for performing the specified
functions and program instruction means for performing the specified
functions. It will also be understood that each block/step of the circuit
diagram, functional system diagram and process flowcharts, and
combinations of blocks/steps therein, can be implemented by special
purpose hardware-based computer systems that perform the specified
functions or steps, or combinations of special purpose hardware and
computer instructions.

[0071] One or more embodiments described herein provide that methods,
techniques and actions performed by a computing device are performed
programmatically, or as a computer-implemented method. Programmatically
means through the use of code, or computer-executable instructions. A
programmatically performed step may or may not be automatic.

[0072] One or more embodiments described herein may be implemented using
programmatic modules or components. A programmatic module or component
may include a program, a subroutine, a portion of a program, or a
software component or a hardware component capable of performing one or
more stated tasks or functions. As used herein, a module or component can
exist on a hardware component independently of other modules or
components. Alternatively, a module or component can be a shared element
or process of other modules, programs or machines.

[0073] In addition to the methodology discussed above, FIGS. 2-5 show
process flow diagrams of example machine-implemented methods in
accordance with some embodiments described herein. Methods such as
described with FIGS. 2-5 may be implemented using, for example, one or
more processors of system 100, such as described in connection with FIG.
1A. Accordingly, reference is made to elements of system 100 for purpose
of describing example components that are suitable for performing a step
or substance being described in accordance with some embodiments.

[0074]FIG. 2 describes a method for aggregating merchandise transaction
content for use in enabling online transactions for merchandise,
according to one or more embodiments. The system 100 may be implemented
to aggregate merchandise transaction data items from multiple different
merchant websites and sources (210). In some embodiments, the aggregated
transaction items may be filtered, based on selection criteria that
includes (i) savings offered to the customer (212), (ii) product
availability (214), and/or (iii) user profile information. Product
availability may factor in consideration such as the availability of
different sizes or colors for a given merchandise item. As an addition or
alternative, historical pricing data can be checked (e.g., from prior
crawls) to determine whether an offering "a good deal" when only good
deals are being included in the aggregated display. For example, while a
merchandise item may be listed with a 50% discount, historical data may
indicate that the merchandise item has been offered with a 60% discount
after each week during which a 50% discount is offered. In such
instances, the presence of historical data may weigh for or against
selecting the offering for display on the device. In other embodiments,
the deal can be included with an indicator providing relevant and/or all
historical data to a user for the user to consider when making a
purchasing decision. For example, if the merchandise item corresponds to
an item of clothing, considerations as to whether the product will be
selected for subsequent presentation include whether the product is
available in popular sizes or color options and/or sizes and color
options of interest to the user (as determined based on the corresponding
user profile).

[0075] System 100 may communicate transaction content to individual client
devices based on the aggregated transaction data items stored in the
database (220). As mentioned with some embodiments, the transaction data
items may be updated or refreshed periodically. For example, over the
course of a day, crawler 112 of aggregation component 110 may access a
common set of websites for products that are offered as discounts, or on
a "deal" basis. With each iteration, the transaction data items stored in
the database 116 may be updated or refreshed, so as to reflect relatively
fresh transactions available to the user. In some embodiments, an
adaptive and programmatic process may be developed in which sites that
include selections which change more rapidly are checked and refreshed
more rapidly. For example, the aggregation component 110 may develop a
schedule for some or all websites in order to time the frequency in which
the sites are checked for new offerings.

[0076] According to some embodiments, when transactional content is
communicated to client devices, the client devices may optionally display
merchandise transactional data items that are new from the time of the
users prior viewing (222). As an alternative or addition, the merchandise
transactional data items that are presented on the client device may be
selected based on heuristics (224). For example, the transactional data
items may be presented to the individual user based on factors such as
(i) transactional items that link to merchant sites that are popular
(e.g., transactional component 120 may register counts to identify
popular merchants or product offerings), (ii) transactional items that
identify products that are popular, and/or (iii) preferences that are
known about the user regarding merchants (e.g., favorite user websites),
brands, or product types or classifications (e.g., user prefers deals
relating to electronic sources clothing).

[0077] In some embodiments, system 100 provides, or otherwise enables a
purchasing trigger on client devices (230). As described in above in
connection with FIG. 1A, for example, trigger component 154 may (i)
generate a feature that is displayed in association with individual
merchant transactional data items on the client device 150, and (ii)
enable the user to perform a simplified action to enter input for purpose
of initiating a series of operations on the client device and server
side-subsystem for completing a transaction to purchase a selected
merchandise item. In an embodiment, the trigger component 154 is
integrated into a client functionality that can be downloaded onto the
user device. In variations, the trigger component 154 is provided using
session-based code (e.g. scripts executed through a browser).

[0078] At run-time, a user may enter input relating to the trigger
component 154 to initiate a triggering event (240). The client device 150
may respond to the triggering event (250) by retrieving purchasing
information (252) (e.g., credit card information and/or merchant account
information) and/or other profile components stored in memory of the
device, and communicating the purchasing information, along with product
information (254) (e.g., an identifier that identifies the transaction
item and/or the merchant and product) and/or other profile information
(256) (e.g., user preference to size and color) to the transaction
component 120 of the network subsystem 102.

[0079] While some embodiments described herein provide that the user's
information is stored on the user device, other embodiments may provide
for some of the information to be stored remote from the user's device,
such as on the network (e.g., cloud). For example, some or all of the
user's financial information (e.g., credit card information) and/or other
profile components may be stored on a networked device located remote
from the consumer's device. This information can be retrieved and used
when the user makes a product selection.

[0080] The transactional component 120 can receive the purchasing and/or
other information from client device 150 (260). In some embodiment, the
information provided can be based on a prior determination of what
information is needed as different websites and/or forms may require
different profile components. The merchant identifier and product may be
determined from the received information (270). A merchant or
site-specific agent is retrieved based at least in part on the merchant
identifier, and the agent is then used to perform actions for purchasing
the identified merchandise item on behalf of the user (280). In some
embodiments, the agent can be retrieved earlier in the process and assist
in determining what profile components are needed for a particular
transaction. As such, the user profile may be over-inclusive for at least
some transactions, and where the user profile likes sufficient
information, the user may be prompted to provide it during the process.

[0081] At 280, the agent can be configured to map one or more profile
components to the particular fields of the merchant's form(s). The
mapping actions performed can include performing virtual
user-interactions (282), such as virtual clicks to add the selected
merchandise item to a shopping cart and then checkout. Where applicable
(as determined by analyzing the form to be completed), the mapping
actions can also include specifying user purchasing information to the
merchant site, such the user's payment method and account number, the
shipping address, and product selection information. For each site, the
actions performed can complete the transaction to purchase the item for
the user.

[0082] The results of the transaction, including the total price paid
(e.g., including shipping and tax) may be reported back to the client
device (290). For example, the transaction can be reported back to the
client device via an application-message that is rendered to the user by
the client device.

[0083] A method is discussed in connection with FIG. 3 that is directed to
enabling a client device to be configured and operated for purpose of
enabling subsequent network subsystem to act on behalf of the client in
purchasing merchandise, according to some embodiments. Client device 150
can be configured to generate a device-specific account and/or user
profile associated therewith (310), meaning the account/profile is
associated uniquely with a particular device and/or user. The
account/profile information may further require the user to specify a
pass-code that can be used to authenticate the user. Should the user, for
example, migrate to a new device, the client may not be operative to
access the user's information unless the user manually re-entered the
information on the new device. In some embodiments, the user profile
includes a programmatically generated password that is hidden to the user
and specific to the device. The information stored on the device, such as
the purchasing information, may not be communicated to the network
subsystem, but maintained private to the device in an encrypted form.
Additionally, the account may be associated with a device passcode (320)
that prohibits access to the client device, functionality provided
thereby, and/or to purchasing or other information. In this way, the user
can store purchasing information on the client device, and that
information can be protected from device intrusions by the passcode, and
further from network intrusions by way of the network subsystem being
ignorant of the information stored on the device. Furthermore, when the
user makes a purchase, the user is able to authenticate himself via the
passcode, and the device authenticates to the network subsystem by way of
the device specific login.

[0084] In some embodiments, the user device can be configured to receive
information entered by the user for the user's profile (330). This
information can include the user entering, for example, financial account
information for purpose of supplying funds for making purchases (332).
Additionally, merchant account information may be supplied (334). Other
profile components, such as the user's shipping information, and
preferences (e.g. size, color, shipping etc.) may also be supplied by the
user.

[0085] Some or all of the information provided by the user may be
encrypted (340). For example, the purchasing information may be
encrypted. In variations, the passcode associated with the device may be
used as a mechanism to unlock (or provide a private key) to the encrypted
information.

[0086] At run time, the client device may be configured to initiate
various functionality and operate (350). For example, the user may launch
a client application on a mobile computing device. The client application
have been downloaded from an online store or other type of market place.
When running, the client application configured the client device to
retrieve updated merchandise transaction content 157 from the transaction
database 116, and display individual transaction items in association
with a trigger input feature that enables the user to make purchasing
selections using, for example, a simplified action such as an icon
selection (which can be performed by, for example, tapping an icon on a
touch-sensitive screen).

[0087] The triggering input may subsequently be received from the user
(360) (e.g., user taps icon on screen). In some embodiments, the user is
required to enter the passcode after making a purchase selection (370).
In this way, unauthorized purchasing activity is precluded. The
information stored for the users purchasing activity is then decrypted
(380) (e.g., purchasing information, such as a user's financial account
information). The purchasing information, along with the product and
other information (e.g., user's preferences) are then communicated to the
network subsystem 102 (390), which performs the subsequent operations
required to purchase the identified merchandise item on behalf of the
user.

[0088]FIG. 4 describes a method for operating a client device that may
enable server-side actions that complete a transaction to purchase a
merchandise item on behalf of a user of the client device, according to
some embodiments. For example, the user device can be configured to relay
a purchasing selection made by the user using the client device (410). As
described with other embodiments, the purchasing selection may
corresponds to the user selecting, for example, a trigger input, such as
provided by an icon.

[0089] In response to receiving the trigger input, a determination can
made as to whether the merchant identified by the selected transactional
item is known to the client device 150 (420). For example, in one
embodiment, when the user operates the client device 150 to make
purchases from a merchant, the merchant identifier is stored on the user
device, along with other information specific to that merchant or
merchant site, such as, for example, the user's login information to that
merchant site. Over time, a list of merchants may be identified on the
client based on user purchasing selections. With each selection, if the
merchant is known (e.g., the user has previously used a client to select
merchandise from that merchant), then information from the user's
purchasing profile, including purchasing and other information is
communicated to the network side subsystem 102 (430).

[0090] If the merchant's website is unknown, new or modified since the
user last interacted therewith, the client device may generate an
interface to prompt the user for account information to that specific
merchant (440). For example, if the user selects a product from a website
that the user has not previously selected from, then the determination is
that the website is operated by or unknown merchant and the prompt is
generated to have the user enter account information for that particular
website. As another example, a determination may be first made as to
whether or not profile components provided previously by the user (e.g.,
for other transactions) can be used for the current transaction.
According to embodiments, the client device 150 uses internal information
to make the determination of (420). Thus, for example, under an
embodiment such as described, the client does not communicate with the
network side subsystem 102 to retrieve, for example, user account
information for the particular merchant that is deemed to be unknown on
the client.

[0091] According to an embodiment, the interface may also prompt the user
to specify whether the user does indeed have an account with the
particular merchant specified by the selected transaction item.
Accordingly, a determination can be made as to whether the user input
indicates whether the user does have an account with the merchant of the
selected transaction item (450). If the user has an account, the user can
indicate as such in response to the prompt generated in (450) by entering
the users account login and password for the particular merchant (460).
If the user does not have an account with the particular merchant, the
user may reply as such, and then be prompted to enter new user account
login and password information (470). The account information determined
from (460) or (470) may be incorporated into the user profile stored on
the client device and/or elsewhere in system 100 (480). The information
may then be communicated to the network side subsystem 102, as described
in (430).

[0092] FIG. 5 describes a method for implementing a queue for individual
user's request to purchase merchandise items and/or other products.
Purchasing and product information can be received from the client device
(510). From the information communicated from the client device, the
product and source information (e.g., website address) of the user
selection can be identified (520). When applicable, the transaction
component 120 may check for product availability from the merchant and/or
other source identified from the information communicated by client
device 150 (530). A determination can be made as to whether the product
is available (535). If the product is unavailable, this information may
be communicated back to the user promptly, or responsively to the user's
selection performed on the client device. If the product is available, a
determination can be made as to whether a transaction queue is open for
the particular client (545). In some embodiments, a transaction queue is
open if the client had signaled previously, and within a designated
duration of time (e.g., 30 min.), a purchase selection input for product
that was deemed available. Variations may exist as to how the transaction
queues maintain open. For example, in some variations, the transaction
queue is open if the time following any prior purchasing requests is less
than some designated amount, while in other implementations, the
transaction queue can be open for a designated duration following a first
in time purchasing request.

[0093] Thus for example, the determination may identify when a user is
making a second or third purchase in succession during a specific window
of time. If determination is that the transaction queue is open, then the
current purchasing selection is queued (550).

[0094] If the determination is that no transaction queue is open, then the
transaction queue is opened (560), and the purchasing selection is queued
(550). In other words, the transaction component 120 locks the users
request to purchase a merchandise item, and waited designated duration to
see whether the user makes additional selections for merchandise,
particularly from the same merchant or source.

[0095] After designated duration of time, the transaction queue may be
closed (570). The transaction component may then perform the steps
required to purchase from the merchant source(s) to merchandise items of
the users purchasing request while the transaction queue was open (580).

[0096] Implementation Examples

[0097] FIGS. 6A-6M show example displays that may be presented by, for
example, a client device in accordance with some embodiments herein. In
the examples provided, the client device corresponds a mobile computing
device 602, such as used for cellular or wireless telephony and
messaging. In variations, different computing platforms may be used for
embodiment such as described.

[0098] FIG. 6A illustrates a rendering of merchandise transaction content
610, which displays numerous merchandise transactional data items 612.
Each transactional data item 612 may originate from a merchant source,
such as an e-commerce website where a merchandise offering is provided.
In this way the merchandise transaction cost and 610 represents an
aggregation of online offerings, including, for example, daily deals or
clearance sale items currently discounted from their normal prices.

[0099] FIG. 6B illustrates an implementation in which a user selects a
transactional data items 612, corresponding to a merchandise item that
the user may wish to purchase. The transactional data automated detect an
image of the merchandise, as well as textual information provided by the
merchant source regarding the offering. Additionally, sale information,
such as the savings associated with the item may be provided. As
described elsewhere, the trigger 154 may generate a user interface
feature 620 that enables the user to trigger a series of substantially
automated operations that result in the user purchasing the item. In some
embodiments, the user interface feature 620 is presented as an icon, that
the user can activate by tapping the display screen 604 of the device 602
at a location where the icon is rendered.

[0100] FIG. 6C illustrates the user is able to make selections from the
merchandise offering provided in the selected transactional data item. In
the example shown, in which the merchandise is an item of clothing, the
selection of the user can correspond to size. In variations color or
other variations may also be selected by the user. For other kinds of
goods, such as computing devices, user selections can correspond to, for
example, the performance level of the computing device, such as the size
of the memory of the device, the speed of it the processor, or the type
of operating system incorporated in the device.

[0101] As mentioned, the user can select an intent to purchase the item by
tapping the user interface feature 620. FIG. 6D illustrates an
implementation which the user enters a four digit passcode after
activating the user interface feature 620. The passcode enables the user
to be authenticated as described above. In variations, the passcode may
be required prior to the user being able to open the application.

[0102] FIG. 6E-6G illustrate an example set up process for user. According
to embodiments, the setup process may be initiated by the user the first
time the user operates the client on a given device. Thus, embodiments
provide for a set up process that is device specific, in that the user is
required to set up a purchasing profile (e.g., financial confirmation,
name, shipping address, and/or other profile components) that resides on
the user's device. If the user changes devices, the purchasing profile of
the user may or may not migrate to the new device. Additionally, some
embodiments provide that if a determination is made as to whether there
is a security threat on the computing device 602 (e.g., user attempts to
log in multiple times and fails), the user profile and/or account
information may automatically be deleted, and the user may be required to
set up the purchasing profile again. In this way, the user is protected
against, for example, the client device being stolen.

[0103] FIG. 6H illustrates an example of how feedback can be provided to
the user in response to their activation of the feature 620. In some
embodiments, the feedback displayed may be in response to a result such
as the required purchasing and related information being communicated
from the client device to the network-side subsystem. As mentioned with
some embodiments, the actual purchasing actions may be performed on the
network-side subsystem after some duration of time (e.g., 30 minutes)
after the communication is communicated.

[0104] FIG. 6I illustrates an example summary page that can be presented
to the user to indicate current and/or past purchases. In the example
shown, all of the user's orders from a particular merchant during a
current or recent session or displayed on one screen. In variations,
order summaries may be depicted for multiple merchants and sessions at
one time.

[0105] FIG. 6J and FIG. 6K show example interfaces that may be provided by
the client device which enable the user to set up a new profile. The
information provided from the user includes, for example, billing
address, financial account information, and/or other profile components.
The user may also be required to enter a passcode. The user may setup a
new profile when, for example, using the client for the first time, after
switching devices, or after a designated security event occurs.

[0106] FIG. 6L and FIG. 6M illustrate an interface that may be provided to
the user in response to the client determining that the user has selected
to purchase merchandise from a merchant that has no known history with
the user (based on user activity performed on the device). When the
client determines that the user has selected to purchase from a merchant
that has no known history on that device with the user, the client may
generate a panel (FIG, 6L) that asks the user whether they have an
account with that particular merchant. If the user does not have an
account with the merchant, the user may be given an opportunity to enter
information on the client device for setting up a new profile with the
merchant. Alternatively, if the user does have an account with the
merchant, the user may specify his or her login information, which is
stored on the client device and then put in use to complete the
transaction the user initiated.

[0107] Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set
forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these
embodiments of the invention pertain having the benefit of the teachings
presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. For
example, although the examples discussed herein are generally related to
facilitating online purchases between a consumer and merchant, similar
functionality can be applied for any type of situation where user
information is to be conveyed to a networked device. Although networks,
such as those that comprise the Internet, are referred to herein, the
network between the user device and merchant device can be a Bluetooth
network and/or any other peer-to-peer based communication mechanism. For
example, a user may use a cellular phone as a form of payment, as a
mechanism to convey deal offer redemption data (such as a code used to
identify a deal voucher number being redeemed by the consumer), to
provide personal information needed to register to receive the merchant's
newsletter, and/or for any other reason. Therefore, it is to be
understood that the embodiments of the invention are not to be limited to
the specific examples disclosed and that modifications and other
embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended
claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a
generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.